2003 - 2004 Class Projects 

Reach

Team Members: Sahar Al Masri Wafa, Lois Byrd, Al Days, Amanda Falvey, John Ge, Christine Spang

Mission: Initiate a truancy mediation program with a positive focus to engage and empower habitually truant youth to invest in their education so that they may move beyond school with confidence and success.

Vision: Create a successful pilot truancy medication program that will be sustained and used as a resource in Racine Unified schools.  We believe that all young people have amazing capabilities if they are empowered and given the opportunity to shine.  It is our vision that the community make an investment in its future by challenging children to learn in a caring environment that respects diversity and values life-long learning.

Challenge

Truancy rates at Gilmore School, like many local schools, are exorbitant and strongly indicate that our current methodology for dealing with students that are habitually truant is inadequate.

People

Team Members: Sherry Lynn Carrion, Donna Carter, David Griffith, Dawn Lingo, Anne Stillman, Steve Torosian

Mission: Collaborate to learn about economic development in Racine so we can conceive and commission a video (click here to see video) that will educate more people about the global forces behind the economic development plan, the vision and its components for the purpose of infecting more people with enthusiasm and pride about what Racine is and is becoming

Vision: Racine residents will be aware of the economic development initiatives and understand how they fit into the larger vision for creating a thriving, sustainable, 21st century community.  More people will "get it", which will contribute to an appreciation and valuing of Racine, resulting in pride in the citizenry and the promotion of Racine to outsiders.

Challenge

Many people in Racine have a negative image of the community and are not aware of all the great things happening.  By completing this project, we hope to highlight examples of how the seven points of the Racine County Economic Development Plan are actively being pursued.  This will begin to counteract some of the negative messages in the market and result in more individuals contributing to promote positive change.

Building Bridges - Children/Youth Awareness

Team Members: Peggy Bell, Mike Cretton, Cazandra Ivy, David Lee, Mary Lees, John Pierquet

Mission: Work together to reach a common goal: Enhance the relationship between children/youth and our community.

Vision: Build a bridge between children/youth and our community by focusing on the "empowerment" of the developmental assets.

Challenge

The Racine Community Coalition for Youth administered a survey developed by the Search Institute, which was tailored aroung the 40 developmental assets.  The framework of the developmental assets provides a tool for assessing the health and well being of middle and high school age youth.  Within the developmental asset types, the survey indicated that Racine County students do not feel valued or "empowered" by the adult community.  It is important for the community to have an understanding of the developmental assets, specifically those related to community values.

Downtown After Dark

Team Members: Nathalie Duhaime, Rick Fiegel, Sharonda Hayslett, Doug Nicholson, Ruth Pedrosa

Mission: Create and develop a sustainable committee that will contribute to the Downtown efforts to revitalize and improve the quality of life of its citizens by promoting Downtown After Dark.

Vision: Developing promotions for Downtown will increase awareness and foot traffic after dark that will:

*enhance the economic development of existing Downtown businesses

*encourage and retain the entertainment spending dollar

*create a "place for everyone"

*retain and attract new business

*provide a sense that Downtown is the "core" of the community

*attract visitors

*provide an atmosphere and culture that attracts progressive professional adults to live and work in Racine

Challenge

Through our research we identified several problems in Downtown, which include:

*lack of foot traffic or consumerisn "after dark"

*people going elsewhere for entertainment spending

*lack of consumers and business activity

*lack of awareness of what is Downtown and of recent enhancements.

What's Wright in Racine

Team Members: Jacki Brisko, Mary Coleman, Shakil Haider, Dawn Hendrickson, Stacia Thompson, Kim Warg

Mission: Educate students and have them experience Frank Lloyd Wright, his architecture and its influence in Racine.

Vision: Create a program that enhances the basic understanding of critical skills like math and art and how Frank Lloyd Wright used them in his designs.

Challenge

People are not universally aware of and do not appreciate Frank Lloyd Wright's architecture.